Nonu is shunted to outside centre, with Habana — the World Cup’s equal all-time leading tryscorer with Jonah Lomu — and Wallaby Drew Mitchell (No 3 on that list) on the wings.

Leigh Halfpenny, Wales’ goalkicking star who missed the World Cup through injury, is at fullback.

The great Crusaders and Leinster sides of the 2000s would certainly challenge Toulon for the title, as would the great Auckland and Blues teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

But after three consecutive European Champions Cup crowns and with more than 1000 international caps of experience, the French club makes a compelling case for being the greatest — on paper at least.

Writing for Sky Sports in May, former England fly half Stuart Barnes said: “they are the finest team that two decades of European club competition has produced. The facts don’t so much speak for themselves as scream. Three successive titles is an astonishing effort.”

Toulon currently sit fourth in France’s Top 14 competition and were comprehensively beaten in their opening European fixture by English club Wasps at the weekend.

But the club’s slow start to the season can partly be attributed to the absence of their international brigade.

Nonu, like Giteau and Mitchell, had been given time off following the World Cup, while Springboks Habana and Vermeulen have only recently returned.

O’Connor is also a chance of lining up for his first match of the season after requiring surgery following his unhappy season with the Queensland Reds.

Earlier this month, Boudjellal promised to walk away from Toulon if the club failed to make the playoffs.

“I’m responsible. I managed the World Cup period badly. We didn’t know which players were leaving and there weren’t many players available for two or three months,” he said.

“I misjudged this period. And if because of that, we don’t finish in the top six at the end of the season, there’s no reason for me to stay at RCT [Toulon].

“I’ll assume my responsibility, it will mean that I’ve become a trumpet and that I’m more harmful than anything else for the club.”

“But I don’t see any reason why we won’t be in the six, you will have to put up with me a little longer.”